Most of the drivers can simply panic, which can eventually lead to a serious accident. Many of the motorists believe that the more experience driving a car, the more the driver is prepared for dangerous situations that may arise during their movement on the highway. But the statistics say otherwise. Many experienced drivers faced with an emergency situation on the road, they begin to panic and eventually make unforgivable mistakes, which later lead to an accident. Yes, this is true, when a wheel unexpectedly breaks and goes down in your car or animals, for example, a dog, an elk, a wild boar, etc., suddenly run out onto the road, and the brakes also disappear, for most drivers these phenomena immediately cause panic, which will only increase their risk of getting into a car accident. Therefore, according to experts, every driver, regardless of driving experience, should be well prepared for any of these emergency situations. He must clearly understand what he needs to do or do in certain circumstances.

There are many scary and dangerous things that can happen all of a sudden, especially when you are driving. But knowing how to respond to emergency situations, you may avoid a complete accident, or minimize those consequences as much as possible traffic accident. Here's what you need to do in the most common situations that happen on the roads while driving.

Car stalls while driving

If yours is on the move, immediately turn on alarm("emergency gang") to warn in advance the traffic behind you about a problem with your car. Always remember that, despite the fact that the car's engine has stalled, it will still continue to move and roll along the road. Your task in such a situation is to slow down and completely stop on the side of the road or in the rightmost lane in the direction of travel. Do not forget, after the engine in your car has stalled, the hydro or electric power steering will be completely turned off in it. Thus, despite the fact that driving will not completely disappear wheel the machine will spin very tight and hard. Try to calculate immediately, if your car stalled at full speed, how much more effort you need to manage your car in such a situation.

If you stall on a highway where there is no shoulder, then stop in the rightmost lane and do not get out of the car. Fasten your seat belt, turn on the emergency lights and call for auto-technical assistance. Attention! Never try to drive yourself repair work while in the right lane. This is very dangerous and fraught with serious consequences.

Unexpectedly flat tire while driving

If, while driving, your car suddenly starts to pull to the side, then there is a possibility that one of the tires is damaged and the pressure in this wheel has dropped to a critical level. At this very moment, many people start to panic. Especially if the wheel is not just flat, but burst or exploded. Never press the brake pedal hard. You need to initially immediately remove your foot from the gas pedal. Next, you need to firmly hold the steering wheel with both hands and try to steer the car towards the curb or try to hold the steering wheel so that your car continues to move straight until it gradually slows down to further safely rebuild the car into the right lane or for full her stop at the curb. If you are going to install spare wheel, then be sure to make sure that you can do this in safe place. You should always remember that if the chosen place of your emergency stop is not safe, and you do not have the financial ability to call roadside assistance, then you will have to continue your movement on a flat tire (at a slow speed).

Yes, it certainly and possibly will damage the rim of your wheel, but your personal safety is worth more than all these extra costs.

Car hydroplaning (planing)

On a wet road, especially when the tread of your tires is very worn out, a thin water film forms between the most expensive and rubber and the tread of worn rubber simply does not have time to remove excess water. At its core, when such a film is formed, the tire does not travel on the road, but, as it were, floats and does not repel water in different directions. , then it will already begin to deviate from the given course of motion. In such a situation, in no case should you apply the brakes and jerk the steering wheel of the car sharply, as this can lead to skidding of your car. Instead of all this, you just need to take your foot off the gas pedal and firmly hold the steering wheel straight, i.e. parallel to the direction of travel, until you feel that you have regained control of your car.

Roadside danger (sand, gravel, etc.)

Many accidents occur due to the wrong actions of the drivers themselves when leaving the car from the asphalt to the dirt shoulder of the edge of the road. Many novice drivers, when suddenly and abruptly pulling to the side of the road, hear, as a rule, an unpleasant sound of gravel hitting the bottom of their car. This can cause a certain panic in this driver, and eventually such drivers begin to make the same similar mistake for everyone, they try to abruptly return to the asphalt road. This often just leads to the fact that the car, from a sharp throw from the ground onto an asphalt road, simply flies into a ditch. Remember, please, and you didn’t even run into it with all the wheels, then in no case turn the steering wheel sharply, because the car from a sharp turn of the steering wheel to the side and being at that moment not with all the wheels on the pavement may lose traction and then lose control, which could lead to a serious accident. Therefore, try if you suddenly drove to the side of the road and immediately wanted to return to a normal asphalt road, slow down while pressing the brake pedal, while not forgetting to take your foot off the gas pedal itself, and then, you can smoothly and safely for yourself and others already return to the right lane of the highway.

Lost brakes while driving! What to do?

Imagine such a situation. While driving, as usual, to slow down or stop, you start to press the pedal, but it suddenly goes to the floor and fails, the car naturally does not slow down. This is a sign of total failure. brake system. Your task in such a situation is not to panic, but immediately take emergency measures to stop your car. To do this, you need (if your machine is equipped with mechanical box gear, shift the gearbox to a lower speed). This way you will be braking directly from the engine. This should definitely slow down the car. If your vehicle is equipped automatic transmission gear, shift the transmission to neutral. As with any transmission, you need to raise the hand lever as quickly as possible. parking brake car (handbrake). If all your actions are in vain and useless, then you should direct your car to the place on the road where it will receive the least of all damage. For example, instead of any tree, it is better to direct the car into the fence. Also, your task is also to direct the car to a place where there are no pedestrians or other vehicles nearby.

Problem with gas pedal

If, while driving, taking your foot off the gas pedal, you notice that, then most likely the floor mat in the car blocked the gas pedal itself. In no case do not try to straighten this mat and unlock the gas pedal on the go. You will only be wasting your time. In this case, there is only one way out, namely, put the gearbox in neutral and only then press the brake pedal. This should help you. But if these actions did not help, then turn off the ignition itself. If your vehicle is equipped with a button start system (Start/Stop), you will have to hold this button for a few seconds to turn off the ignition while the vehicle is moving.

Be sure to remember that by turning off the ignition of the car on the move, your steering will become very heavy, as at this point the power steering will disengage and the brakes will become hard and tight, you will need a lot of physical effort to control the car.

An animal suddenly ran into the road

We almost all love animals, but humans have anyway top priority. Imagine that while driving a car, an animal suddenly runs out in front of you. What are you going to do? Will you try to stop abruptly? Or try to make a sharp maneuver trying to bypass the animal? We advise every driver to think in advance about the answers to these questions. After all, on the road you will almost never have time for this. Keep in mind that in some cases, when trying to avoid an animal, you may endanger your own safety, as well as the safety of other participants. traffic. We cannot give you exact advice on how to proceed in this situation. Your actions should depend only on the situation itself. But still we will try to give you one good advice. Whether you like it or not, the choice is yours. So that such an incident does not come as a complete surprise to you, you need to pay attention to road signs, which indicate the danger of animals on the road. Remember and do not forget that such signs are installed on the road for a reason, that someone just wanted to put them. If there is such a warning, then you are obliged to slow down in this place. Also, if you have left and are moving outside the city, then be extremely careful, especially in the countryside and at night. Please pay attention to the side of the road, where it is possible at night in the headlights you can see the reflection of light in the eyes of a wandering animal. In addition to all this, in areas where there are many wild animals, one should always expect that at any moment either an elk, or a deer, or a wild boar, as well as many other wild animals prevailing in this region, may run out onto the road. Therefore, try to move at a slow speed in such places.

Suddenly, a car drove into the intersection. What to do?

Imagine a typical situation. You enter an intersection strictly according to the rules of the road, and a car suddenly leaves right in front of you. In this case, you sharply press the brake pedal to avoid a collision. But in most cases, there is not enough time to completely stop the car. In this case, your task is the following, to minimize the consequences of the accident, to direct your car to the back of the vehicle that has left in violation. This way you can soften the blow (the rear of any car is lighter, because the front is overloaded with the engine, gearbox, drives and steering). Thus, hitting the rear of the car may help reduce the risks for both the driver and passengers of the vehicle that has entered the intersection.

What to do if an accident occurs

We have repeatedly published various tips and recommendations on the pages of our online publication on how to behave in the event of an accident. You can read more about this.

Briefly, we will repeat what you should do immediately after an accident. First, immediately after the accident, it is necessary to find out if there are any victims in the accident. If they are, you are obliged to provide first aid to the participants in the accident and immediately call ambulance by calling 112. Next, use our instruction-algorithm of action in the event of an accident.

The car began to roll in the parking lot

If, after parking your car, you got out of the car, but forgot to put it on the parking brake, and also, but you did not put the gear lever in gear, then there is a probable risk of the vehicle rolling away in your absence. But, if all this happened in front of you and in front of your eyes, then you should try to stop the car. Unfortunately, there aren't many options for this. Remember, the main thing is yours. You may try to stop the car with your hands. This is quite possible, but if the car has already begun to roll at a slow speed and practically only on a flat surface. And if vehicle when rolling down, it has already begun to pick up speed, then in no case should you try to do anything here as a stuntman. You run the risk of being hit by a moving vehicle.

Never stand in front of a moving vehicle trying to stop it. Remember that you are not superman or batman, or the car will get scared of you and drive around. The vehicle is very heavy and can easily damage or injure you.

If the car caught fire

If your car is on fire, then you should stop and get out of the car as soon as possible. Never open the hood or try to get back into the cabin to save any items. Your task is to get a fire extinguisher out of the trunk and put out the flames as quickly as possible. If nothing works out for you, then do not approach the car, move to a safe distance and wait for the firemen.

Always remember that it is not worth risking your life for an unsuccessful attempt to put out a vehicle or save some personal belongings or documents. You should always put your safety and the safety of your passengers and, of course, other road users in the foreground.

Have you tried at least once not to brake when your car flies into an obstacle? A sober person would never think of such a thing. Why, then, are there so many incidental collisions - as they say, out of the blue? Carelessness! I thought about it, looked around, reached for the phone ... And, according to the law of meanness, it was at that moment that the car in front suddenly slowed down. A blow, a crumpled bumper, broken headlights - this is at best.

To reduce such accidents to a minimum, several years ago, automakers began to develop preventive safety systems that are ready to stop the car instead of the driver - in automatic mode. At first, they began to equip expensive cars, but after last year they gave “hitchhiking” Ford Focus, it became clear: technology went to the people! It turns out that the time has come for serious tests.

In Russia, no one has conducted such tests, and therefore there are no methods or tools. So let's create it ourselves!

We have been preparing for the test for several months. Most of the time was spent on the manufacture of the test setup. We polished the test methodology, filled out more than one stack of papers, filling out applications, travel sheets, memos. We also caught the weather - in the middle of spring it often brings surprises that complicate both measurements and photography. The human factor also interfered. Obeying the instinct of self-preservation, the hands themselves turn the steering wheel at the last moment, and the legs press the brake - it is very scary to hit an obstacle!

If only you knew what it cost me to overcome reflexes that were harmful to my work… After that, I dreamed about the blue poop of our test bully at night. When the preparations were completed, we assembled nine cars at the Dmitrovsky auto training ground that can brake themselves: relatively inexpensive Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf, Volvo S60, Infiniti Q50 and Hyundai Genesis sedans, as well as crossovers of all stripes - Opel Insignia Country Tourer, Land Rover Discovery Sport, BMW X4 and Cadillac SRX.

FROM METAL AND FOAM

The idea of ​​checking the performance of electronic assistants to avoid accidents did not come to us today. Five years ago, on a Volvo XC60 crossover, we covered the radars and sensors with mud (SR, 2010, No. 5) in order to check whether they would work electronic systems active safety. Some assistants resigned, but the rest, even in such difficult conditions (by the way, typical for Russia), continued to conscientiously fulfill their duties. And last year (ZR, 2014, No. 10) Mikhail Kuleshov, without fear or reproach, went one on one with a Ford Focus hatchback, which moved without a driver at all! Equipped with an automatic braking system, the Focus stopped right in front of the fearless Mikhail. All these were just attempts to get close to serious tests that would allow a comprehensive assessment of the operation of automatic braking systems and their role in active safety.

Obviously, cars must respond not only to a static object, but also to a moving one - it is necessary to simulate braking in a traffic jam or slowing down in a highway mode. How to implement this idea? Hitting a car with a car? It will be expensive! Therefore, the specialists of the technical center "Behind the wheel" Valery Zharinov and Gennady Emelkin undertook the construction of a unique experimental setup which allows all kinds of tests to be carried out. For a whole month they were designing, arguing - and building, adjusting, redrawing. As a result, from the gates of our technical center, they rolled out a model of the rear of the car, capable of moving at speeds up to 80 km/h. Naturally, not independently: the tractor is pulling the installation - a car with hitch. The installation is placed on rails that serve as guides: in the event of a collision, it drives away from the ram car along them. This saves his front end from damage, and the driver from a possible airbag impact. "Booth" soft-bodied. A thick layer of foam rubber under the protective cover takes the first hit and gently dampens part of the energy transmitted during impact. And since the pattern on the case is very reminiscent of the well-known Volkswagen Transporter, we nicknamed our rig "bully".

BEAT HURRY, BUT CAREFULLY

Each car from our mighty nine went through a test cycle, including exercises in statics and dynamics. More precisely, the subject is always on the move, but the “bully” first stands still in the hope that the car approaching him will stop at a safe distance, and then moves, overtaken by the test car. We start our acquaintance with races at low speed. Depending on the first results, we decide whether it is worth driving the subject through the entire program or whether it is better to stop testing until the firewood is messed up. "In the Standing"(Fig. 1) - stop in front of a stationary object. "Bully" is standing, the car is moving. The initial speed of 15 km / h - at first glance, trifling. But in the event of a real accident, it will already be required body repair! Then, with each attempt, increase the speed by 5 km / h. We finish the races when the car in braking touches the bully. Because of unstable work electronics sometimes had to duplicate attempts to unambiguously establish when the limit of the control electronics comes. "Give me a sign"(fig. 2) - test of the collision warning system. The driver directs the car into a "bully" at low (20 km/h), medium (50 km/h), high (90 km/h) speeds - and carefully follows the prompts of the electronics: at the first warning, he presses the brake and evaluates (subjectively, of course), whether the electronics gave a signal in a timely manner. It happened that the assistants were treacherously silent and the driver had to dodge the bully at the last moment in order to avoid being hit at high speed. If you can’t dodge it, you will smash the test installation, damage the car, and you yourself can get hurt, because at speeds over 50 km / h, with sufficiently hard contact, even with a soft and moving installation, airbags can work. "Catchers"- dynamic tests, when both the bully and the car overtaking it are moving. This is a simulation of the most common traffic situations. For example, a typical case for a city is a “bully” traveling at a speed of 20 km/h, and a car overtaking it at a speed of 50 km/h (Fig. 3). Then we play catch-up at the track pace: the bully keeps 50 km / h, and the speed of the car is 90 km / h. "Slow down"- braking in front of the cork tail. The Bully and the car are moving at a speed of 60 km/h. The Bully starts to slow down and the car overtakes him (Fig. 4). The task of the automatic braking system in all exercises is obvious - to prevent contact. Objective assessments received by cars based on the results of the races, we have summarized in a table. But, as is often the case in such complex tasks, a priori dry scores cannot give a complete picture of how the heroes of our test performed. On the different machines- systems of different levels, others are very capricious, and therefore one cannot do without a detailed story about each of them. We will share our impressions not in chronological order, but, for ease of perception, we will go from the less successful test participants to its leaders.

ZERO ZERO

• Package contents: 2.2D HSE Luxury
• Test car price: 3,516,000 rubles
• The AEB emergency braking system is available as a separate option (12,100 rubles) in all trim levels or as part of the “Extended Driver Assistance Systems Package” (49,000 rubles).

The new Land Rover failed on all counts. The AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking) system did not cope with any exercise. She did not react in any way to a standing bully, did not prevent a collision with a moving one. It did not even issue any warnings about a dangerous approach to an obstacle. At least, we were not able to get signals from her either in the compulsory exercises or in the free program. The suspicion crept in that the car did not have an accident prevention system at all. She discovered herself by accident - the car suddenly slowed down at the moment when it was slowly catching up with a barely crawling installation. The speed difference did not exceed 15 km/h. And only in this case, a moment before the emergency deceleration, AEB signaled danger. We were inspired and once again carried out the “catch-up” test exercise at low speed. Alas, such conditions turned out to be too tough for the system - a zero result.

OUTPUT

The system operates in a very narrow range of speeds, with a minimum difference between the speeds of the car and the obstacle, and therefore is ineffective. When developing a next generation system, the manufacturer has room for improvement.

BETTER THAN NOTHING

• Package contents: 1.6 Titanium
• Test car price: 1,222,000 rubles
• The Active City Stop emergency braking system and the Forward Alert warning system are not available as separate options and are offered only in the Technology package (15,600 rubles) for cars equipped with Titanium.

Ford Focus - the most inexpensive car in our test, and we didn't expect miracles from the Active City Stop (ACS) system. And they did not wait: the car conscientiously worked out only emergency braking from low speeds in front of a fixed obstacle. Automation managed to stop the car from 25 km / h without contact, but already at 30 km / h, the installation noticeably kicked. Obviously, with increasing speed, the range of the laser rangefinder is not enough, which sends a signal to the control electronics about an obstacle in the way - the system does not have time to react in time. In addition, ACS brakes only halfway (deceleration of about 5 m/s²), giving the driver the last word. If he reacts in time and squeezes the pedal to the floor, there will be more chances to avoid an accident. It would be useful to honk at least a moment before the brakes are applied, but the system is not trained for this. All these shortcomings were clearly manifested in dynamic tests. After a heavy kick from Focus, which overtook the slowly creeping "booth", we decided not to carry out the exercise with a greater difference in speeds and limited ourselves to the pursuit of a slowing down object. It was, perhaps, one of the most dramatic episodes of the test - Focus hammered the installation so much that it nearly disabled it. Fortunately, it worked out.

OUTPUT

Active City Stop is an example of an inexpensive anti-crash system that is worth the money. But a small budget limits the possibilities: you can count on ACS only when driving at low speeds - for example, in city traffic jams.

BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH

• Trim: 2.0 CDTi
• Test car price: 1,780,000 rubles
• The emergency braking system is offered in any configuration in the Driver Assistant 2 package (40,000 rubles).

Braking in front of a stationary object repeated the Ford scenario. At a speed of 25 km / h, Insignia managed to stop, and at 30 km / h it crashed into the installation. Repeated races confirmed: this is the limit value. But the following exercises demonstrated the superiority of the "lightning" over the "blue oval". Firstly, the system warns the driver about a collision, although it does not do it perfectly. At 20 km/h the signal came late and contact could not be avoided (the automatic braking function was disabled via the menu). At 50 km / h, on the contrary, the system warned of the danger in advance, and the braking was so smooth that even the jacket left on the next seat did not fly off onto the mat. At a higher speed, the electronic assistant decided to remain silent - I had to turn away sharply so as not to smash the installation. Secondly, automation is trying to help when approaching and with a moving target. She partially succeeds in this - at low speed she managed to stop the Insignia. On the high speeds and with a greater difference in speeds, the electronics noticed the danger and informed the driver about it, but she failed to prevent a collision. Not because of myopia: let down the automatic braking algorithm - not strong enough to prevent a blow. Apparently, the automation is set up only for a warning, including a slight braking, and therefore gladly shifts the responsibility to the driver.

OUTPUT

Opel can do more than Ford, but systems talents are more expensive cars does not possess.

CORRECT COURSE

HYUNDAI GENESIS

• Trim: 3.8 V6 GDI Sport
• Test car price: 3,319,000 rubles
• The Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) system is included in the equipment of cars in the Luxury and Sport trim levels.

Equipped with the full AEB Autonomous Emergency Braking system, the Genesis was unrivaled when it came to the accuracy of its proximity warning systems. Everything worked flawlessly at all given speeds. The supply of sound and visual signals is set up with a decent margin so that the driver has time to make a decision. In addition, in case of danger, the inscription “Caution” is projected onto the windshield - like it or not, but you will notice. But with automatic braking, everything was not so smooth. When braking from a speed of 25 km / h in front of a standing installation, the Genesis slightly butted it, and in the second run at the same speed it stopped without touching. They raised the bar to 30 km / h: the first attempt was a test, and the second was a blow, and so sensitive, as if the automation did not slow down at all. Unstable Genesis stopped and caught up with the moving "bully". At low speeds, the system worked as it should, activating the brakes in time and tightening the seat belt just in case. And when approaching the "bully" at a speed of 90 km / h, it began to slow down late and sluggishly. Boom! If there was a real car in front, the pillows could work. As the Koreans explained, at high speeds, the AEB system does not activate emergency braking, but only slows down the car to give the driver the opportunity to bypass the obstacle. Weird algorithm.

OUTPUT

The system works, but is not without flaws. First of all, she lacks stability.

Photo gallery

The first test in Russia of cars equipped with an automatic braking system was organized and conducted by the team of the Za Rulem magazine. In our country, no one conducted such tests, and therefore there were no methods, no instrumental base. Having developed them, we tested nine cars at the Dmitrovsky auto test site that can brake on their own: relatively inexpensive Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf, Volvo S60, Infiniti Q50 and Hyundai Genesis sedans, as well as crossovers of all stripes - Opel Insignia Country tourer, Land Rover Discovery Sport, BMW X4 and Cadillac SRX.

• look in the mirror;
• if you want to stop at the edge of the roadway, turn on the right turn;
• take your foot off the accelerator pedal. The speed is miniaturized;
• press the brake pedal with your right foot. A little later, and then a lot more;
• Before stopping the car, fully depress the clutch pedal with your left foot. This will disconnect the connection between the wheels and the engine and the engine will not stop. Don't do this very early, as the engine helps with the braking;
• when the car stops, loosen the force on the brake pedal;
• turn on the parking brake and turn off the engine if you brake in a parking lot or at the edge of the roadway;
• move the gear lever to the neutral position;
• take your feet off the pedals.

Shift into low gear before stopping
If the speed is high, and there is a small distance left before the stop, then you can slow down the engine. To do this, you need to squeeze the clutch, engage a lower gear and gently release the clutch pedal. This method is effective on snowy or slippery road(because the wheels do not lock), but leads to more wear on the clutch parts. It is used for braking and cornering in difficult road conditions.

Practice
It is necessary to outline ahead or select a specific point where you are going to stop the car. It’s better not to get to the intended place than to slow down after it. You will be able to take your foot off the brake pedal and drive slightly forward. Stopping at the curb also requires practice, it is necessary to stop as close to it as possible and without hitting the curb. Both hands are on the steering wheel.

Stopping in an emergency
An excellent driver in everyday conditions does not actually have to brake hard. Nevertheless, various critical situations appear, for example, when a child abruptly crosses the road in front of your car. Therefore, you must know how to quickly stop the car without losing control. Such a stop in a critical situation increases the risk of skidding.

Even with a critical stop, you should not forget and you must follow the rules of smooth braking, smoothly, but press the brake pedal very hard. Avoid kicking the brake pedal. This will lead to a skid of a car or a car will run over your car from behind, since the driver following you may not have time to make the right decision. In critical situations, rapid reaction and the ability to predict the situation are crucial. The sooner you start braking, the sooner you will stop.

Practice the following steps:

• keep both hands on the steering wheel, you need full control over the car;
• do not depress the clutch pedal until it comes to a complete stop. This will make braking effective, so the stability of the car on the road is maintained;
• do not touch the parking brake. On most cars, it acts on the rear wheels and its use will lead to a skid;
• If you do not want to continue driving, then you must apply the parking brake and move the gear lever to neutral. If the road surface is dry, then you can press the pedal sharply; if the road surface is loose and wet, heavy braking should be avoided. In such conditions, it is necessary to slow down and increase the distance to the car that is moving in front.

Safe driving technique:

• beware of unsafe situations;
• try to calculate your deeds;
• look around, if there are any kids playing nearby;
• remember the time when school ends;
• Are there crosswalks ahead?
• look at with mirrors traffic situation on the sides and behind.

Move at such a speed that you can have time to brake in a safe place. When visibility is limited, slow down. Be prepared for unexpected situations to arise.

AUTO.TUT.BY, together with the traffic police of Minsk, tried to stop the car in front of a "pedestrian" that suddenly jumped out onto the roadway - at a speed not exceeding the speed limit in the city. No drivers, pedestrians or vehicles were harmed in the experiment.

The experimental conditions were as close as possible to real ones. Evening time, unregulated pedestrian crossing in one of the residential areas of Minsk, visibility is limited by cars parked along the edge of the roadway.

The driver Alexandra agreed to help us - a blonde on Ford Mondeo ST 220 with a three-liter engine, as well as the Head of the School extreme driving Sergei Ovchinnikov. Only the “pedestrian” was not asked for consent – ​​a soft mannequin from the training arsenal of the Minsk City Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Inspectors of the agitation and propaganda department of the traffic police of Minsk dressed the doll in a jacket and carefully marked it with retroreflective elements.

The GAI of the Pervomaisky district, on the territory of which we conducted the experiment, outlined its conditions.

Do not frighten any driver and any pedestrian! Don't crash any car! Look carefully under whose wheels the dummy will fly - an unprepared person's heart can stop at the sight of a body flying onto the road! - Vyacheslav Gavrosh, head of the traffic police of the Pervomaisky district, instructed the experimenters. - No, we'd better insure you all the same ...

At the crossing, near which the “pedestrian” was pushed out, vigilantes were placed: the task of the stopmen was to explain to the interested pensioners, “why the policemen of the cotton are pushing under the wheels”, and to warn those stepping on the crossing that not a person is lying on the roadway, but a doll.

The Ford participating in the experiment was followed by a traffic police crew at a short distance - so that emergency braking in an attempt to avoid hitting a “pedestrian” did not collect a “train” of civilian cars behind the Mondeo.

Next to the driver is Sergey Ovchinnikov, an expert in driving. He will observe Alexandra's actions - we did not rule out the possibility that the blonde decides to turn the steering wheel too sharply in the direction of parked cars in order to avoid a collision or, even worse, into the oncoming lane. And at the same time they asked Sergey Olegovich to evaluate with a professional look the actions of a standard motorist - whether he behaves correctly in an extreme situation.

The conditions of the experiment, by all accounts, are not entirely “clean”: the driver knows that at some point a “person” will fall under the wheels of his car. Let's see if this knowledge will save the "pedestrian" ... Sergey Ovchinnikov also drew attention to the good lighting of the roadway, the excellent condition of the road surface, technical condition and vehicle equipment:

On wet or icy roads, old car without ABS, and even with half-serviceable brakes, with a "bald" summer tires, provided that the exit of the "man" from behind the parked car was completely unexpected, we would, I'm afraid, get completely different results.

Alexandra is focused on driving as close as possible to a calm, relaxed, daily rhythm. The moment at which, because of a car parked right at the crossing, “a pedestrian will run out” is unknown to her: they can throw a doll 20 meters before the moving Ford, and 2.

Traffic police officers are worried:

It’s unsafe to throw right in front of the hood - the doll is still a little heavy, no matter how the car is damaged ...

Let's get started. The first passage of the crossing is at a speed of 40 km/h. The dummy is pushed out 10 meters before the car. Harsh braking - "pedestrian" saved.

At a speed of 50 km / h with a "pedestrian" who "jumped out" 10 meters before the car, the driver managed to slow down right in front of the doll.

Mamochkiiii…” Alexandra wails. - It seems that you know that he is about to fall - and still his heart stops at the sight of a "man" on the road.

At a speed of 60 km/h, the driver emergency braking nevertheless, the mannequin that has flown onto the road is touched by the bumper.

There is contact, - the traffic police officers state with regret.

We conclude: at a speed of 60 km / h allowed in the city, on a dry road, even a driver of a technically sound car warned of a possible danger with good tires cannot avoid a collision by braking.

We complicate the task - we limit visibility not passenger car at the crossing, but by a minibus parked at the curb. The driver and the expert do not know that the dummy has changed the place of the "exit" - Alexandra is moving at a speed of 50 km/h in the direction pedestrian crossing and expects the doll to habitually fall out from behind the car.

I did. Slowed down. He admits that he took his breath away from surprise:

Oh! God! You don’t understand anything — what is it, who is it, where did it come from in front of the hood. And the brake pedal to the floor - just to be in time!

At a car speed of 60 km / h, the “pedestrian” who suddenly “came out” from behind the bus had no chance.

This is definitely an accident, - Sergey Ovchinnikov states. And he sincerely admits: “The heart stops ... Even for me, the stress is incredible!”

The driver, according to a professional, did "everything she could."

She had three options. The first is to slow down without changing direction. Alexandra, of course, tried, but at such a distance from the “pedestrian” it was already impossible to avoid collision by braking. She chose to turn the steering wheel to the left, in the direction of the “oncoming lane”, fortunately, the lane was free. But even with this maneuver, the car hit the “pedestrian”. Plus - if in the oncoming lane in real conditions the traffic was moving, the scale of the accident would have increased. Also, the driver could decide to turn the steering wheel to the right - on parked cars. But in these particular road conditions, this would not have saved the pedestrian - we already hurt him right side cars. Such actions would only exacerbate the consequences for the foot user.

Pedestrians-violators, who were brought to the place of the experiment for preventive purposes by Andrei Sharmalaikin, deputy head of the traffic police department of the Pervomaisky district, refused to look at the “playing with dolls”. Strikingly, but, sideways watching possible consequences careless behavior on the road, one drunken pedestrian still proved to the traffic police:

Walked and will walk! I've already lived my life, high shoot down! Should I go 100 meters to your crossing? You'd better put a sign where it's convenient for me to cross!

They asked to feel sorry for the drivers, if you don’t feel sorry for yourself ...

What about a driver? Hai sits if he does not see people on the road!

One of the passing drivers was also offered to take part in the action. The young man sat in the front passenger seat of the Ford and waited with interest for the appearance of a "pedestrian" on the roadway.

I have never seen people on the road so close and so unexpectedly,” he admitted, getting out of the car. He promised to be even more careful while driving - in case a real inadequate pedestrian ever jumps out in front of his car.

By the way, on the last test drive, we really understood what reaction of third-party drivers to the experiment was predicted by the head of the traffic police of the Pervomaisky district, Vyacheslav Gavrosh. Nerves, as it turned out, are not strong for everyone.

Together with Ford, at the sight of a dummy flying onto the road, an oncoming car urgently braked. The driver jumped out from behind the wheel with the words “Lord, where did he come from!”, rushed to Ford hood- and realized that there was a doll on the roadway. The man exhaled… and burst into a swearing tirade. The most decent of his words was: “But what are you doing! Yes, I would be in the place of this girl you ... "

We are not needed. But drivers and pedestrians should think about it.